Report calls for CO 'behaviour change'

A new parliamentary report has warned that major changes are needed to deliver a significant reduction in injuries and fatalities from carbon monoxide (CO) leaks.

The All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group this week issued a report examining ways to translate public awareness of the dangers of CO into meaningful action. It noted that raising awareness on its own was likely to prove insufficient.

"What this report is calling for is an unashamedly radical step-change in how we approach CO safety in the UK," said Baroness Findlay of Llandaff, who chaired the panel conducting the report alongside Dr Rachel McCloy of the University of Reading.

"We need a deeper and more sophisticated understanding of the CO poisoning environment if we are to successfully eradicate all future occurrences," she added.

The report suggested that the adoption of techniques pioneered in behavioural science could help to ensure that the general public are better equipped to take the decisive, life-saving action needed whenever they suspect a CO leak.